Dave Brailsford to make late call on Tour de France leader

DAVE BRAILSFORD will wait until just before next year’s Tour de France to decide whether Bradley Wiggins will lead Team Sky during the race or adopt a two-pronged attack that also includes Chris Froome.

DAVE BRAILSFORD will wait until just before next year’s Tour de France to decide whether Bradley Wiggins will lead Team Sky during the race or adopt a two-pronged attack that also includes Chris Froome.

Wiggins rounded off a dream 2012 by winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award at a glittering awards ceremony in London.

The enigmatic 32-year-old pedalled to gold in a captivating Olympic time trial on August 1, but his greatest achievement came just 10 days earlier when he became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in its 99-race history.

Fellow Team Sky rider Froome played a supporting role for Wiggins during the 2012 Tour but now hopes to win the race himself next year, which has left team general manager Brailsford with a conundrum.

Speaking before collecting his Coach of the Year award on Sunday night, Brailsford said: “The legs will do the talking. When we get there (the Tour de France) it’s the guy with the best legs who will lead (the team).”

It had been expected that Wiggins would make way for Froome next summer, but the Olympic champion made his intentions clear last week when he said he wanted to reclaim his crown.

Brailsford has not ruled out the possibility of two leaders and claims both riders are more than capable of taking home the yellow jersey next summer.

“When you have two world-class athletes in a team it’s a fantastic place to be,” Brailsford added.